Warning: Don’t Make Homemade Hand Sanitizer Due To The Coronavirus

The coronavirus outbreak is causing major concern, as people have resorted to making their own hand sanitizer because their local store, pharmacy, and even online are sold out.

According to CNN, a spokesperson for CVS gives more insight on the shortage of hand sanitizers.

This demand may cause temporary shortages at some store locations and we re-supply those stores as quickly as possible.  All of this means recipes for homemade hand sanitizer are spreading online. Popular recipes making the rounds include a combination of alcohol, essential oils, and aloe vera gel.

Before you attempt to "do it yourself" and make your own hand sanitizer by checking out YouTube videos, you might want to reconsider because while some could be helpful, but if done incorrectly it could be more harmful.

Dr. Birnur Aral who is the director of the Health, Beauty & Environmental Sciences Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute suggests that you shouldn't assume making DIY hand sanitizers are safe and effective, and many of the recipes are not of the FDA's rules of governing the hand sanitizers product category.

The rules state that the minimum recommended level for isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) is seventy percent in the final product, or minimum sixty percent ethyl alcohol.  So if the directions call for two-thirds cup of rubbing alcohol, the actual level would fall short of the recommended seventy percent.

Nevertheless, the best way to combat the coronavirus is the old fashioned way: with soap and water.

Wash your hands for at least twenty seconds, avoid touching your face, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and clean and sanitize your surfaces regularly.

If you do have hand sanitizer there, the proper way to use it is make sure both hands are covered including fingers and under the nails are rubbed and dry, but if your hands are greasy and dirty it will not be as useful